Automobile lock



Mar. 27, 1923 1,449,769

E. J. MARTEL AUTOMOBILE LOCK Mar. 27, l923 E. J. MARTEL AUTOMOBILE L"ocx Fllen July 1, 1921 5 shams-sheet m un m gyw JJM/@faz E. J. MARTEL AUTOMOBILE Lob K Ffled July 1, 192.1

3 'sheets-sheet 3 lll 4'Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNITI-:D STATES EDGAR JOSE-PH MARTEL, `OI' LACONIA, HAMPSHIRE.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

Application filed July 1,`V

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, EDGARPJOSEPH Man- TEL, a citizen of the .United States, residin a? Taconis., in the county of Belknap an 6 State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful'lmprovements in Automobile Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automobile locks Such as are designed to prevent unauthorized persons from taking possession and driving the car. For this purpose it provides mechanism for locking the ignitionfswitch in off position, and the clutch, or brake l5 pedals, or both, in unclutched and braked ositions. In order to provide for various ightin requirements, the lighting system may beocked in an osition desired so that tampering therewit is prevented. As it is always desirable thaty the ignition bein of position when the car is locked, this invention provides means by which should the ignition be on it is automatically thrown oil' when the car is locked. Further it provides a single handle or pull member b which the various locking actions are e ected, this member being released by means of akey to unlock the parts simultaneously.

The switch-locking mechanism per se is not claimed in this case but is claimed in a divisional application filed November, 11, 1922, .Serial No. 600,320.

For a more complete understanding of this invention together with further objects and advantageous details and combinations of parts'reference may be-had to the accompanyin drawings illustrating an embodiment t eileof in which J Figure l1 `is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the floor and dashboard portions of a car showing the lock in position.

Figure 2 is a view of the same parts asy seen from the drivers seat, the floor being shown inlsection.

Figure'u is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure4 is a section on line 4-*4 of Eigure 3.

Figure 5 is a front elevation partly broken away of the ignition and lighting switches and the'lock and the casing for these parts.

Figur@A G is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

' Figure 7 ure 5.

Figure 8 is a detail of the locking bolt is a section on line 7-7 of Fig- 1921.' Serial c No. 481,769.

showing the ignition disl; switch in dotted' lines. v f

Figure 9 is a side view of the ignition swltch showing the locking bolt in dotted lines. n 1 Figure 10 is a diagram of the ignition and lighting circuits at the dashboard.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4, at 1 is indicated aportion of the car flooring terminating at its forward end in an upwardlyl inclined portion 2, merging at its upperend in a vertical section 3. Positioned rearwardly of the section 3 and above the same is a dashboard portion 4 on which the various switches and locking mechanisms are mounted. At the lower edge of the dashboard 4 is mounted a bracket 5 which supports the upper and rear end of the usual steering ost 6. This post extends downwardly tiirough the inclined portion 2 of the floor and at its lower end carries con nections, a portion ofA which is shown at 7, to the steering mechanism. Between the floor ortion 2fand the connection 7 is positione a housing 8. This housing is in the form of a substantially rectangular box or easing having a lower section 9 made fast to the steering post or tosome fixed part of thecar, and an\upper section l0 telescopically lrelated to the lower section and provided referably with a rib 11 for engagement wit the open and of ,the section 9. Both sections are provided with a pair of slots 12 and 13 within 'which the usual clutch and 4brake pedals 14 and 15, shown pivoted at 16 on a shaft, may move.

The housing sections are s o proportioned that when either ol the pedals 1 4 or 15 is depressed, for example, substantially as shown in Figure 3, these pedals engage within the slotsto an extent sufficient to prevent the removal of the section 10 of the housing from the fixed section 9. 'When both edals' are in their upper position, however, 1t is possible .to move the section 10 sufficiently to d-rsengage it from the section 9 'so that the mechanism within the housing may be accessible( As shown more particularly in Figures 3 and 4 the steeringpost 6 has pivoted at 17 on a collar 18 fixed thereto, a lever 19. One end of this lever terminates in a hook 20 which may be brought down across the slot 12 above the dal 14 to retain the same when depresse Also pivoted at 17 to the collar 18 is a hook member 21 adapted to engage over the pedal 15 when this pedal is depressed to retain it in such position. The lever 19 and the hook 2l are connected for simultaneous operation by means of a lever 22 pivoted at 23 to a collar 24 also fixed to the steering post 6, this lever being coli nected at one end by a link 25 to the outer end of the lever 19 adjacent the hook 20 and the other end of lever 22 carrying a roller lo riding on the inner edge of the hook 2l. The lever it) has an arm QT by which it may he actuated, the end of this arm having made fast thereto the end of a cable 28. This cable 28 projects outwardly through a pipe 29 made fast at its lower end to the housing portion 9, this pipe projecting up- Y wardly and rearwardly through the dashboard 4 and to a casing 30 mounted on the forward face thereof.

As shown more particularly in Figure 7 the upper end of the cable 28 is'attached to a pull rod 31 which extends throfu'gl'). the forward face of the casing 30 and terminates in a handle or pull member 32 within easy reach of the operator of the vehicle.

Prom this description it is evident that whenever one or both of the pedals 14 and 15 have been depressed to throw out the clutch or apply the brake, or both, on pulling the handle 32, these pedals may be retained i-n depressed condition, thus holding fthe. clutch out of operation or the brake applied, or both. In order to retain the pull rod 3l in its outward position it may be provided with a collar 33 positioned within the casing 3U and engageable by a bolt 34 of a lock 35, this lock being accessible from the forward face of the casing to a key by which it may be unlocked when it is desired to permit the pedals to resume their normally raised positions.

,'The casing 30, as above noted, also contains the switch mechanism controlling the ignition for the engine and the lights for thc. car. Referring to Figures 2 and 5 to 9, the lighting switch-operating handle is indticated at 40 and the ignition switch handle at 41. The handle 40 is fixed to a shaft 42 ex tending within the casing and carries therein a disk 43 of insulatin material. As shown more particularly in igure 7 this disk carries a metallic contact 44 which may be brought in turn into bridging contact between pairs of spring terminals such as shown at 45 and 46. The handle 4l is simi larly fixed to a shaft 4i' carrying within the casing a disk of insulating material 48 which carries also a similar metallic contact elenient 49 which may make bridging contact between the terminals 5() and 5l of the ignition circuit.

A single pair of terminals only is required for the ignition circuit, but the light ing circuit requires a plurality of such pairs. inV the present embodiment three boing shown, one pair being indicated at 45 and 4G and similar pairs adjacent thereto being indicated at 53 and 54 and and 313. For example, the terminals 53 and :34 when conY .nected by the metallic bridge 4l. may close the circuit for bright lights, while the con tacts 45 and 46, when bridged, muy rlosc the circuit for dim lights. and the contacts 55 and 5G, when bridrfed, may close thc con tact for curb light. Por holding the switch yieldingly in any of its positions the outer edge of the disk 43 has a series olV notches or depressions 57 therein for engagement by a spring linger 58 mounted at one end of a leaf spring 59 fixed at its other end to the wall of the casing. VIt will be noted that there are one more notches 5T than pairs of contacts .for the various lighting circuits,

the additional notch serving to hold the disk iny position Where no contacts are bridged,

this being the off position ot' the switch when no lights are burning. The disk 48 is similari provided with a pair of notches 60 with which cooperates a. spring finger 6l carried at the end of a leaf spring G2 fixed to the casing, these notches determining on and offpositions for the ignition. The. disk 43 also has a series of rectangular notches corresponding in number and relative positions to the notches 57, while the disk 4R has a similar notch at 66, there being one such notch only i-n this disk. These notches are so positioned thatwheii the ignition circuit is in off position, in which case. the conA tact 49 fails to bridge the contacts 50 and 51, the notch 66 will be substantially opposite to one of the notches G5 of the disk 43,

the disks 43 and 48 being positioned in t-he same plane.

A locking-bolt or plun er Tti is mounted in a guideway 71 fixed to t e rear tace of the casing 30 in position so that its forward end may be projected within the slots 65 and 6G so that when 'in projected position both disks 43 and 48 are locked against turning movement. This locking bolt is projected by means of a lever 72 pivoted at Til to a portion of the casing and having a slot at itsI upper end at T4 engaging over a pin T5 fixed to the bolt T0. Near its lower end lever T2 carries oli one face thereof a pin TG riding in a groove in the locking collar li. By this means when the handle 3&2 is pulled outwardly by the operator not onl \Y is the cable 28 pulled to lock the pedals, but also by acting on the lever T2 the locking bolt Til is projected within the notches o5 and (lo so the ignition and lighting circuits are also locked.

Vvhile the lightinglr circuits may he locked inV any position desired, Whether entirely off or the curb light only lighted. the lights being dimmed or on full. it is always desir able to lock the car with the ignition off. For this reason one notch (SG only has been provided for the disk 48. To Further in llfi sure that the ignition be o" when locking is effected, provision is made b which should this switch not be in oil' position, it will be thrown to Such position on the locking of the car. For this purpose the rear face of thedisk 48 is provided with an outstanding cam portion 80, shown best in Figure 9, so posi tioned that if the disk 48 is turned to close the ignition switch the locking bolt will impinge thereon and urge the disk 48 in a direction to op'en the ignition switch. This action is Shown,in Figure 8 in which a slight 4modification of the locking bolt is shown, it

being formed integral with the upper end of the actuating lever, the lever being indicated at 7 and the bolt being indicated at 70.

From this description it will be seen thatv .jecting across its path and preventing such action. It is also evident that the pipe 29 etfectually prevents access to the cable so thatl the peda`s may not be released without the use of the key.

Having thus described an embodiment of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims..

l. In an automobile, clutch and brake pedals, an ignition switch, a lighting switch, and means for simultaneously locking said i nition switch in ofi' position and said yc utch and brake pedals and lighting switch in any of a pluralityf positions,

2. n an automobileq havingr a dashboard and clutch and brak'pedals, the combination of a housing through which the pedals pass, a pair of hooks pivotally mounted in said housing in position to be swung outwardly of/said pedals when they Iare depressed to lock them in depressed position, and means operable trom the dashboard for projecting said hooks into locking position.

8. In an automobile having a steering post and clutch and brake pedals, the combination of a. housing through 'which the pedals pass carried by said post, a pair of hooks pivoted to said post and positioned to be projected outwardly of said pedals when they are depressed to hold them in such position, a pull 4. In an automobile having clutch and.

brake pedals, the combination of a two part casing, one of said parts being fixed and the other part engageable with said first part, said casin having slots for the reception of said pedals, and means for locking said pedals in depressed position, said pedals in said position preventing the disengagement of said casing parts.

5. In an automobile having clutch and brake dals, the combination of a fixed casing aving slots to receive said pedals, a lever ivoted within said casing and having a hoo ed end movable to engage ai ove one pedal when it is depressed to ho d it depressed, a hook pivoted to move into engagement above the other pedal when it is depressed to hold it de ressed, connections between said hook an lever to insure simultaneous movement thereof into pedal-retaining position, and means to actuate said lever.

6. In an automobile having a steering post, clutch and brake pedals, a dashboard, and ignition and lighting switches carried by said dashboard, the combination of a cas4 infr carried by said steering post and through w ich the pedals pass, means within said casing for locking said pedals, a casing about said switches, locking means within said switch casing, and an actuating member for said edal and switch-locking means projecting rom said switch casing.

In an Vautomobile having a steerin post, clutch and brake pedals, a dashboar and ignition and li hting switches carried by said dashboard, tlie combination of a casing carried by said post, and having slots through which said edals pass, a pair of hooks pivoted to said) post and movable to hold said pedals depressed, a cable having operative connection with said hooks to move them to holding position by pulling thereon, a casing for said switches, a plunger mov'- able in said switch casing to lock and unlock said switches, a pi e connecting said casings and through whic said cable passes, a pull member projecting fromsaid switch casing and having operative donn'ection to said 'cable and plunge'r, whereb on pulling said member said hooks and p linger are moved t-o locking positions, and a. lock having operative engagement with said pull member to retain said member in pulled position and to release the same by the locking and unlocking respectively of said lock.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

EDGAR JOSEPH MARTEL. 

